Orchid

Orchid is the follow up book to the futuristic stories Amaryllis and Zinnia, in the off world old Earth colony of Harmony on the planet of St. Helens. When the first children of this colony grew up, it was discovered they were gifted with one of two talents: psychic ability or what they call a prism. The psychics were powerful, but they cannot control this ability, focus it for long periods of time. For that they need a prism. A prism channels their power and amplifies it. However, a psychic and a prism must be of the same level of strength or the psychic can overload and burn out the prism. Orchid Adams is a strong prism, and she is just what Rafe Stonebreaker needs: a wife! He is trying to take over control of his grandfathers shipping cooperation, and to do that he needs a wife to make him appear settled. Only problem: is he is an off the chart psychic talent that has made placing him with in the Harmony romance matching agencies a bit of a problem. He has contracted Orchid to help him with some private investigations, but he soon decides to do some matchmaking of his own, and encourages her to enter in a Harmony temporary marriage, a cover to aid him in taking power of the shipping business.When Orchid's friend steals an ancient artifact, Rafe and she are tangled into a deep mystery of a mad killer desperate to cover his mistakes. Once again, Jayne Anne Krentz, writing under the Castle name, gives us the dazzling shine of her talent! This is some of her best writing over the last decade, JAK at her very best.Early this year, they released the first two tales Amaryllis and Zinnia under the title HARMONY. So if you enjoyed them, you will most definitely wish to have Orchid as well. After Dark and After Glow are set on this same world, too.People that love Nora Robert's JD Robb series should snap these up. These are in the same style. The romance sizzles, the banter is dazzling - it just does not get any better than this.

This is the third and last of the St. Helens triligy. I really wish she would write more in this universe. Orchid Adams is one of my favorite characters. After hearing about her in AMARYLLIS, and ZINNIA, we finally meet her in this book.Orchid writes PV (psychic vampires)novels. Imagine her surprise to meet a real PV, while she works as a 10+ Prism. A prism is a psychic who helps a psychic with a talent,use his talent. Sound confusing? It really isn't. It is just nature's way of controlling powerful psychics.Rafe Stonebraker is a powerful talent. He's looking for a wife, since he is a strat-talent (hunting and tracking), one looked on as somewhat exotic, he decides to hunt his own wife. His biggest problem is that he is an off the wall talent. In other words he's more than a 10. Which would make other people wary, if they knew. He would be considered a PV.He also has a list of qualities he is looking for in a mate, because there is no divorce on St. Helens. Added to that he needs to marry before taking over Stonebraker Shipping.Rafe is an undercover detective, for a select few who know about him. His new case concerns an Ice prism, who supposedly stole an ancient relic. It turns out that Orchid is an Ice prism, too. She is also a friend of the Ice prism he is investigating. It seems Ice prisms are few and hard to find.With a mind and stubornness all her own, she and Rafe set out to find the truth.From a green and blue wedding in Northville to A showdown with another strat-talent, Rafe and Orchid entertain us to the max.I loved this book and didn't want it to end. Enjoy!!!!!

"Orchid" can be read either on its own or after reading "Amaryllis" and "Zinnia" (see my reviews on those books), and it is exactly as great as them.To sum up, this novel is a wonderful futuristic paranormal romance written by Jayne Castle (also known as Jayne Ann Krentz). To enjoy it you will need some (or a lot of)imagination: the plot is set in the colony of St. Helens, where the pioneers from Earth that settled there were stranded after the connection between Earth and St. Helens disappeared (+ or - 200 years before the beginning of this story), and people have developed psychic abilities unknown in Earth (but needed by them to survive in a new world). Anyway, given that, you will enjoy a wonderful novel. The main characters are Orchid Adams and Rafe Stonebraker. Rafe Stonebraker is a highly talented strat, who is looking for a wife. His search (or hunt) will take him to Orchid Adams, a full spectrum ice prism who seems to be all wrong, but feels right... The plot includes also some investigations and a lot of really good love scenes. You cannot help but be involved in this novel. Seemingly bizarre at first (specially if you haven't read "Amaryllis" or "Zinnia" before starting with "Orchid"), it bewitches the reader... You end up wanting more. I've just bought "After Dark", by the same author. Hope it is as good as this one!!!.

This was my first book of the futuristic trilogy that I've read from Jayne Castle. I loved it. After reading about Rafe Stonebraker and Orchid Adams I went on and read Amaryliss and Zinnia, both which I also loved.

"Orchid" is the first Jayne Castle and futuristic book I've ever read. The plot with mystery and a mix of romance was a perfect blend with the backdrop of a futuristic world not too far away seemed to catch me and made me hate to put down the book. I am looking forward to any of her books in the near future.